NHTSA issues school transportation safety tips amid rising bus stop deaths

According to federal authorities, 40% of children killed in school transportation accidents were passengers in other vehicles, 38% were pedestrians, 18% were on school buses, 3% were bicyclists, and 1% were using personal devices such as skateboards, scooters, or wheelchairs.

Safety recommendations for school transport

According to the NHTSA, riding a school bus is the safest way for children to get to and from school. However, there are hazards that children may encounter when getting on and off the bus that can be avoided.

The acronym SAFE published in the safety tips requires children boarding and alighting school buses to:

• Sstay five steps away from the curb
• AAlways wait until the bus driver allows you to board
• FAce forward after finding a seat on the bus
• EDo not leave the bus until it stops and you receive instructions from the bus driver.

For students who ride their bikes to school, drivers are reminded to always give cyclists plenty of room on the road, avoid passing too closely, and look in all directions – left, right, and behind – before turning right on a red light. The NHTSA points out that it is important to yield the right of way to cyclists just as you would other motorists and not to underestimate their speed.

In addition, parents should teach their children to always wear a well-fitting helmet with a tightly fastened chin strap, to use bike paths or lanes whenever possible, to ride in the direction of travel while obeying all traffic signs and signals, and not to use electronic devices while riding.

When it comes to the safety of pedestrians and children, drivers must remain alert at all times, especially in school zones and residential areas, obey speed limits and exercise extra caution in conditions of poor visibility, such as at night or in bad weather.

Parents should accompany children under 10 years of age and teach them to use the sidewalk when possible or, if there is no sidewalk, to walk on the side of the road while watching traffic. Children should also be instructed to cross roads only at marked pedestrian crossings, always look left, right and left before crossing, not to play near traffic, push or jostle, and to stay alert by putting their phones away when walking.

For new drivers, parents should role model safe driving behavior and remind their children to put away their phones to avoid distractions, limit the number of passengers in the car, make sure everyone is buckled up before driving, and obey posted speed limits.

NHTSA also emphasized the importance of child seats and vehicle safety, noting that drivers must ensure the protection of children by using the correct child seat for their age and size, ensuring proper installation, and always placing children ages 13 and under in the back seat.

Parents are also reminded to never leave children alone in a car, even for a moment. If they see a child left alone in a car, they should call 911 immediately. In addition, parked vehicles should be kept locked and keys out of reach so that children cannot get inside and become locked.

For more information on back-to-school safety, visit NHTSA.gov/BacktoSchool, and for teen road safety, visit NHTSA.gov/TeenDriving.